Jaii Pappu

Major / Minor: Neuroscience / Chemistry (Pre-Medical Track)

Area of Research: Public Health – Community Health Sciences

Name of Mentor: Jonathan Jay

How did you get involved in research?

After being part of a research lab that studied Autism Spectrum Disorder at Weill Cornell Medical School in high school, my heart was set on pursuing research for my career! The UROP Program was the biggest reason why I applied to and chose BU and I haven’t looked back since!

How did you meet your mentor?

I found Dr. Jay’s publications online and I found them extremely compelling – and I reached out to him to see if he was willing to mentor undergraduate students in his lab.

What has your UROP experience taught you?

My UROP experience has taught me to never stop being curious, and to keep persevering in the face of adversity!

How has this experience helped you with non-research related things at BU?

Being part of a lab and a full-time undergraduate student is extremely demanding, but I learned how to manage time more efficiently and balance all of my responsibilities.

What does a day in your research life look like?

We usually meet as a lab group to give updates to the whole team on our progress, as well as receive feedback. I also conduct literature reviews to gain a better perspective on the issues I am researching. I will also experiment with my code and data on R (a statistical programming software) to see the effects of different variables and co-morbidities on public health crises in Chicago.

What advice would you give to someone interested in UROP?

Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t received positive responses back from labs you have reached out to be a part of. You just need one offer letter from a lab and you’re now a researcher! My UROP experience was an extremely intriguing and rewarding experience that allowed me to develop different skills as well as study issues that are very relevant in the real world. I have met so many wonderful and inspirational people and made extremely helpful connections. I am so excited to spread awareness from my research and hopefully be a part of future change.